Anthropometric and Physical Fitness Comparisons Between Australian and Qatari Male Sport School Athletes

Background: The increasing focus on international sporting success has led to many countries introducing sport schools and academies. Limited empirical evidence exists that directly compares student-athletes from different continents. This study investigated whether male Australian and Qatari student-athletes differ in anthropometry, physical fitness and biological maturity. Methods: 150 male student-athletes (72 Qatari, 78 Australian; age = 11.8-18.6 y) completed a fitness testing session involving anthropometric (standing height, sitting height, leg length, body mass, peak height velocity (PHV) measures) and physical capacity (40 m sprint, countermovement jump (CMJ), predicted maximal oxygen uptake (V[O.sub.2] max) tests. Differences were assessed using a one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), effect size (Cohen's d) and regression coefficients. Results: The Australian student-athletes possessed a greater standing height and body mass (P < 0.01) at their age at PHV (APHV) and had an increased rate of leg length development (P< 0.05) in contrast to the sitting height of the Qataris (P< 0.01). The Qatari student-athletes had significantly (P< 0.01) faster 40 m sprint times (mean [+ or -] SD:5.88 [+ or -] 0.53 vs 6.19 [+ or -] 0.44 s) and greater CMJ heights (36.9 [+ or -] 7.2 vs34.0 [+ or -] 6.0 cm) than their Australian counterparts. Although not statistically different, the Qatari student-athletes also matured earlier (APHV: d = 0.35) and had greater aerobic power results (predicted V[O.sub.2] max: d = 0.22). Conclusions: Despite lower stature and body mass values, Qatari student-athletes exhibited physical fitness ascendancy over their Australian counterparts. Keywords: Student-Athlete, Body Size, Physical Fitness, Biological Maturity, Sport